Forlì

Forlì is a city in the Romagna region of northern Italy. The city was founded after the Roman conquest of the Gallic villages of the region, and it was named Forum Livii on 188 BC by consul Gaius Livius Salinator. In 88 BC, the city was destroyed during the civil war between Gaius Marius and Sulla, but it was later rebuilt. In 665, 728, and 742, the Lombards conquered Forlì from the Roman Byzantines, and the city was donated to the Papal States by the Franks in 757. By the 9th century, the commune had taken control of the city from its bishops, and Forlì was established as an independent city-state. In 889, Forlì became a republic, and the city was ruled by the Ghibellines, supporting the Holy Roman Emperors during their campaigns in Italy. The Lord of Urbino, Guido I da Montefeltro, came to power in 1257 after the collapse of the House of Hohenstaufen, and the city was ruled by condottieri until 1302, when the House of Ordelaffi came to power. The Ordelaffi defended Forlì from Papal authority, but Pope Sixtus IV would succeed in claiming the signory of Forlì for his nephew, Girolamo Riario, in 1480. In 1488, the House of Visconti seized the city, followed by the Borgia in 1499 (from 1503 to 1504, the Ordelaffi briefly returned to power). The city is still known for its role in the Renaissance, and it is famous for its frescoes. In 2012, Forlì had a population of 118,652 people.